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Floyd County, Indiana
Floyd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 74,578. The county seat is New Albany . Floyd County is the county with the second smallest land area in the entire state. It was formed in the year 1819 from neighboring counties Clark County, Indiana, and Harrison County, Indiana. Floyd County is part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY–IN Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Floyd County, originally the Shawnee Indians hunting ground, was conquered for the United States by George Rogers Clark during the American Revolutionary War from the British.The Encyclopedia of Louisville By John E. Kleber (University Press of Kentucky 2000) pages 300-302 ISBN 0-8131-2100-0 For his services he was awarded with large tracts of land in Indiana including almost all of present day Floyd County. After the war Clark sold off parcels of land to settlers who quickly began entering the region as soon as peace returned. In 1818 New Albany was a large enough city to become a county seat and form a new county, local leaders sent Nathaniel Scribner and John K. Graham to the then capital Corydon, Indiana to petition the Indiana General Assembly. Floyd County was approved on January 2, 1819 by the General Assembly and formally became Floyd County on February 1, 1819.Floyd County History There are two possibilities to the origin of the name of Floyd County. According to the Indiana State Library the county was named for John Floyd, who was a leading Jefferson County, Kentucky pioneer and uncle of Davis Floyd. John died in 1783 when his group was attacked by Indians near present day Bullitt County, Kentucky. It is debated by some that the county was named for Davis who was convicted of aiding Aaron Burr in the treason of 1809. Davis was a local politician of the area, the county's first circuit court judge. In 1814 New Albany was platted and was established as the county seat on March 4, 1819 where it has since remained. There was an attempt in 1823 to move the county seat but the motion failed. Floyd County would have the largest city in the state for much of the early 19th century, eventually being overtaken by Indianapolis during the Civil War.Findling, John ed. A History of New Albany, Indiana. (Indiana University Southeast, 2003). 53. Between 1800 and 1860 Floyd County experienced a huge boom in population doubling many times over. A survey in the 1850s found that over half of Indiana's population that made more than $100,000 dollars (USD) a year lived in Floyd County, establishing it as having the richest population in the state.Miller, Harold. Industrial Development of New Albany, Indiana. Economic Geography (Jan., 1938). 48. The Duncan Tunnel, the longest in Indiana, was built in Floyd County in 1881 between New Albany and Edwardsville. The railroad was unable to find a suitable route over the Floyds Knobs so they decided to tunnel through them.Photo The project was originally began by the Air Line but was completed by Southern Railway. It took five years to bore at a cost of $1 million dollars (USD).Sunny Side of Louisville - Area History The Tunnel is long.Railroad Depots of Southern Indiana, By David E. Longest. Pg 89. ISBN 0-7385-3958-9 Floyd County during the 19th century attracted immigrants of Irish, German, French and African American origins.The Encyclopedia of Louisville By John E. Kleber (University Press of Kentucky 2000) page]] 302 ISBN 0-8131-2100-0 The French settlers located mostly in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. The Irish began arriving in 1817 and in large numbers in 1830 to 1850. German immigrants settled mostly in New Albany and by 1850 about 17% of New Albany's population was from immigrants. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.79%) is land and (or 0.21%) is water. Cities, towns, villages * Galena * Georgetown * Greenville * New Albany Townships Floyd County is divided into five townships: Geographical features Floyds Knobs in Floyd county was named after the most prominent geographical feature of the county which are the knobs: many steep hills which dot the midsection of the county. The highest point is S. Skyline Drive (+38° 21' 13.64", -85° 50' 50.64") at just over . The lowest point in the county being the shore of the Ohio River near New Albany at an elevation of . Major highways * Interstate 64 * Interstate 265 * U.S. Route 150 * Indiana State Road 62 * Indiana State Road 64 * Indiana State Road 111 * Indiana State Road 311 Adjacent counties * Clark County (northeast) * Jefferson County, Kentucky (south, across the Ohio River) * Harrison County (west) * Washington County (northwest) Climate and weather }} In recent years, average temperatures in New Albany have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in October to in May. Government The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code. County Council: The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Floyd county is divided into 44 precincts which are organized into four districts, each district elects one representative to the council. Three other members are elected to the county at large. The council members serve four year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes. Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government. Court: Floyd County's court system consists of a Circuit Court and three Superior Courts. The Judge of the Circuit Court is J. Terrance Cody. The Superior Court Judges are Susan L. Orth, Glenn Hancock, and Maria Granger. All serve six year terms. All are also Democrats. Cases are divided by local rules. County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county. Floyd County is part of Indiana's 9th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Democrat Baron Hill. It is also part of Indiana Senate district 46 and Indiana House of Representatives districts 70 and 72. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 70,823 people, 27,511 households, and 19,697 families residing in the county. The population density was 478 people per square mile (185/km²). There were 29,087 housing units at an average density of 196 per square mile (76/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.23% White, 4.41% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 1.09% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.9% were of German, 19.6% American, 11.3% Irish and 10.2% English ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 27,511 households out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county the population was spread out with 25.80% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $44,022, and the median income for a family was $52,401. Males had a median income of $37,613 versus $26,539 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,852. About 6.90% of families and 8.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.50% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over. Gallery Image:Floyd County Indiana Hospital.jpg|Floyd Memorial Hospital Image:New Albany Indiana YMCA.jpg|New Albany YMCA building Image:Riverviews tower, New Albany Indiana.jpg|Riverview Towers, tallest building in the County See also * Indiana University Southeast * Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area * Louisville-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area * National Register of Historic Places listings in Floyd County, Indiana External links * County website * Clark-Floyd counties tourism bureau References Category:Floyd County, Indiana Category:Counties of Indiana Category:Established in 1819 Category:Ohio River counties Category:Louisville metropolitan area